health

Coffee, wine and sushi! New pregnancy book says OK

6 Comments
By LEANNE ITALIE

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6 Comments
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This isn't news, its "olds"

One is that much of the evidence suggested an occasional drink is OK.

This one may be popular in puritanical countries, but in the U.K. expectant mothers are encouraged to drink Stout or Guinness (in moderation) because it contains vital nutrients and promoted lactation.

Bed rest is not a great idea.

I don't know where this idea came from, I've never heard it before and can only think that it is the product of a complete idiot. Again in the U.K. moderate physical activity is encouraged and bed rest is actively discouraged as it atrophies the muscles you're going to need during labor!

Gaining too much weight may in fact be less risky than gaining too little weight.

Again, what idiot came up with this idea. You're walking around with a 3 or 4kg baby inside you. Expect to gain AT LEAST that much weight, and maybe more as you're fueling two bodies. The idea that pregnant women should diet is the most idiotic and ridiculous idea I've ever heard. Again in the U.K. I've never, ever seen this idea.

Are these all U.S. ideas? Because they smack of the combination of idiocy and paranoia that I've come to expect from the U.S.

Quit the Irish jokes everyone, the U.S. has officially taken the lead in the village idiot competition!

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In Japan they are very paranoid about all of these fallacies. Obstetricians I've spoken with are all for the "safety first" which isn't a bad thing. What's wrong with cutting alcohol and caffine from your diet? I've shown my wife the data on alcohol and caffine in moderation, as well as sushi, but she was adamant about listening to her doctor. In the end it's what makes you feel comfortable and I'm not going to tell a pregnant woman to do anything that would stress them out. This is a very touchy issue, and I do thnk there needs to be more conversation between families and their doctors on all matters to iron out all the so-called "fallacies".

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Emily Oster isn’t a baby doctor. She’s an economist and a mom

So she knows better than doctors, midwives, nurses and all together.

I think that there’s a real sense in which pregnancy should be something that you do with your doctor, but I think that for a lot of women the time you have with your doctors is limited and it can be difficult to get all of the answers to your questions.

And they can't go to maternity classes instead of reading her BS ?

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In Japan they are very paranoid about all of these fallacies. Obstetricians I've spoken with are all for the "safety first" which isn't a bad thing. What's wrong with cutting alcohol and caffine from your diet? I've shown my wife the data on alcohol and caffine in moderation, as well as sushi, but she was adamant about listening to her doctor.

A woman who is culturally conditioned to obey authority will be more likely to feel this way. Since cutting caffeine and alcohol from a diet is not harmful, listening to a doctor might help someone feel better emotionally. If something were to go wrong she would be blameless (nor would she have set herself up for shaming) since she listened to the doctor. However, having a glass of wine might help her relax more.

Interesting, when Carla Brunei (then the First Lady of France) was pregnant with her daughter Guila, she complained to some reporter that she hated being pregnant because she was unable to enjoy wine or smoke. The self-appointed Motherhood Watchdogs were all over her for being honest and not willingly sacrificing for her unborn child. The condemnation was all over the press. Somehow, when a woman is pregnant the world assumes that she has lost her wits and must be told what to do--and censured--by others.

So she knows better than doctors, midwives, nurses and all together.

Not at all. That's a faulty argument. She has simply gone to the research and examined it thoroughly. Which most doctors don't do. They rely on the research they are given to be accurate. However in my second year psychology class as part of the statistics component, we as undergrads had to do the same thing. Guess what? We found the same problems in the "experts' studies" that Oster did: questionable data and faulty conclusions. This is the value of being taught to "think critically" and "think for yourself." No one else needs to be the self-appointed boss of you. Unfortunately, not every individual has the time (or the ability) to go to the original research when sorting out conflicting studies. Thankfully, they now have an added resource in Oster.

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in the U.K. expectant mothers are encouraged to drink Stout or Guinness (in moderation) because it contains vital nutrients and promoted lactation.

Lactating mothers, not expectant mothers. This (half a small glass a couple of times a week is recommended by some people after the baby is born, not while still pregnant!

You're walking around with a 3 or 4kg baby inside you. Expect to gain AT LEAST that much weight, and maybe more as you're fueling two bodies.

About 7kg is usually considered the minimum, even here. Weight gain comes from the weight of the uterus, amniotic fluid, increased blood volume etc as well as the weight of the baby. Gaining only the weight of the baby would actually be a net loss. Having said that, there are issues with gaining too much weight just like not enough. Gaining 30kg isn't a good idea whether you are pregnant or not! They take it much too far here though, I gained 16kg while pregnant and most doctors here will tell you that is too much, luckily I had a very relaxed doctor. I lost all that weight and several kilos more (I'm not overweight to start with so didn't really need to) within 2 months of having my baby, with no effort at all.

as well as sushi, but she was adamant about listening to her doctor.

No one in Japan suggests that pregnant women don't eat sushi, or actually any other kind of food. I never saw anything about restricting types of food in any of the Japanese literature I read. I was really surprised, since people are so cautious about it in English-speaking countries!

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Gaining too much weight may in fact be less risky than gaining too little weight.

Again, what idiot came up with this idea. You're walking around with a 3 or 4kg baby inside you. Expect to gain AT LEAST that much weight, and maybe more as you're fueling two bodies. The idea that pregnant women should diet is the most idiotic and ridiculous idea I've ever heard.

Where the heck did ya get the idea that passage is about dieting?

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